You need a resume because employers use it to screen prospective employees. The process of creating a resume also helps you to recognize and assess your strengths and accomplishments. This will help you articulate those during an interview.

Guidelines for preparing a resume:

• Include no personal information such as marital status or anything that would indicate your race or religion.
• Do not use all caps.
• Include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
• List your employers with dates of employment, city, and job title.
• Use no smaller that a 12-point font. Use a serif type such as Times Roman or Courier. Sans-serif types like Ariel and Univers are difficult to read, as are all caps.
• Print on quality bond paper, white or offwhite.
• Do not use booklets.
• Keep information to one page unless you have extensive experience.
• Use action words.
• A resume should be accomplishment oriented and not a list of job descriptions.
• A resume should include major career highlights, not everything you have ever done.

There are three types of resumes:

• chronological
• functional
• combination

The chronological lists your work history and accomplishments in reverse chronological order. It’s most effective for individuals who have a steady record of employment in an industry or functional area or for those who want to stay in the same line of work.

The functional lists your accomplishments in different categories such as management, social policy, clinical, and supervision. This type is more effective if you are making a career transition, want to return to a professional area you worked in earlier in your career, have large time gaps in your resume, or if you have extensive accomplishments in volunteer work or hobbies.

The combination includes elements of both. It’s most effective for those who want to emphasize unique skills and accomplishments or for those who want to de-emphasize certain parts of their employment history.

Step 1: Develop a list of accomplishments.

State what you did using strong action verbs. Specify the results or impact those actions had on the organization using numbers or percentages whenever possible.

Examples:

• Evaluated 200 people for inpatient admissions, admitted 75% and referred the remaining to appropriate community resources.

Step #2: Prepare your resume

• Resumes include these elements:
• Contact Information
• Name, address, phone number(s), e-mail.
• Headline/Summary
• A summary summarizes your expertise and also gives the reader a clear idea of what job you are seeking.

Example: Clinical Social Worker with training and experience in family therapy. Expertise in treating families and adolescents. Excellent organization and case management skills. Computer literate.

Employment History
Employer name, city, dates of employment and job title. If you are older, you can omit earlier periods of work history if they are not relevant to your current work objective.

Education/Training
If you are a new graduate, list this category first. List in reverse chronological order. List courses, seminars or workshops that relate to your job objective.

Additional Information
Professional affiliations, publications, community activities, computer skills.

References
Should not be included on resume.
Have references ready if requested.

Length
Keep your resume to one page unless you have extensive experience. Many people procrastinate when it comes to resume preparation. The best time to look for a job is often when you are satisfied with your current position. An updated resume is a career development tool that can help you strategize your next career move. Entrepreneurs and independent practitioners can use an accomplishment- oriented resume to create career development and marketing plans.

Ms. Brown can be contacted at:
D&B Consulting
Career Counseling & Life Coaching for Professionals
3355 Lenox Road, Suite 750
Atlanta, Georgia 30326

Debbie@DandBconsulting.com
www.DandBconsulting.com

1-404-504-7079
Fax: 1-678-530-0661